The 25cl «Slim» Steel Can : a Brand Image for High Quality Products The 25cl «Slim» steel can has become a brand image for high added value, speciality products such as health foods, quality juices, diet and energy drinks, and more recently dairy products. The 25cl can differentiates these products from the conventional colas, and is convenient for a single serve drink for the young dynamic consumer who, according to a recent consumer research study, prefers «tall and slim». The 25cl can has been extremely successful in the «Pacific Rim» and particularly in Japan, where steel cans have dominated the beverage market due to the popularity of hot vending of beverages and the competitive cost of steel. Prior to the introduction of nitrogen injection, the advent of hot canned beverages such as coffee, oolong tea, black tea and green tea, necessitated the use of steel for its strength and rigidity. The great demand for these drinks in Japan coupled with the increasing number of vending machines made cans the obvious choice. Selling Hot and Cold The prospect of using dual vending machines for both hot and refrigerated beverages, where the heat generated during refrigeration can be used to heat coffee, tea and milk based drinks, is a significant marketing opportunity for the development of the steel can. Single serve drinks for the young, dynamic Steel cans... the preferred choice for sterilised milk products The Health Conscious Consumer The recent interest of the health conscious consumer in the nutrient value of drinks is an opportunity to expand the canned drinks market and has motivated can making and filling industries to explore this vast market potential for alternative drinks. In international markets, consumers are continually extending the range of drinks they consume. This new generation of alternative beverages currently represents almost 10% of the total soft drink market in the USA, and almost 30% of beverage can shipments in Japan are for coffee and tea based products. The health benefits perceived by Japanese consumers of green tea together with the development of sports drinks in Germany and Italy, confirm this new trend and potentially high growth market. Diet drinks for the health conscious consumer Steel, a reference for Dairy Products The introduction over the last twelve months of a number of flavoured milk products in steel cans has opened up new horizons in the market for these high added value products, which the marketeers believe is the tip of the iceberg of a new generation of health drinks. The processing of canned dairy products has not been an easy task. A considerable amount of care and attention is required to ensure that the risk factor during the filling process, pasteurisation or sterilisation of these products, is minimal. The most critical issue is the resistance of dairy products to temperatures in excess of 120°C which can lead to the deterioration of taste, aroma, colour and nutritional value. The strength of steel Steel cans are the preferred choice for sterilised milk products due to their strength and resistance to damage during the sterilisation process where cans are conveyed at 121°C in tower autoclaves. Steel has since become a standard specification for metal packaging of all dairy products in Europe. The introduction of a unique aseptic filling process by Menken Dairy Food in their French Crème filling plant was the result of a collaboration between Continental Can, Serac and Ferrum for their EUREKA project 1606. The result was a substantial reduction in the processing time from 20 minutes at 121°C for sterilised milk to a total of 4 seconds, reaching a peak temperature of 145°C. This new aseptic filling process improves the taste, odour and colour of the products packed, and has opened up new horizons for the packaging of dairy products where more economic heat sensitive flavours and natural colourants can be introduced at the last stage of the filling operation. The process also has the added advantage of permitting quick line change-overs from one flavour or colour to another. With this process, the possibility of using active ingredients such as enzymes, is an exciting breakthough. It will make lactose free dairy products available for example and avoid the problem of lactose allergies, particularly in Asia, and amongst young children. During the process, steel cans are rinsed and sterilised in a thermic oven prior to filling, and the can ends are processed before the closing and seaming operation using an ingenious induction heating system. All of the filling and closing equipment is housed in a class 100 sterile area. Since the introduction of non carbonated drinks in two piece cans, liquid nitrogen has been used to create an over pressure in the container, evacuate oxygen in the head space prior to seaming, and to maintain the can wall strength. In the case of hot filled products the nitrogen injection compensates the vacuum formed during cooling. The conventional liquid nitrogen used prior to this new development was not sterile and a unique aseptic liquid nitrogen injection process had to be introduced. The 25 cl «Slim» steel can, a brand image for high added value, speciality products Flavoured milk products ... the tip of the iceberg in a new generation Put a head on your milk Widget technology revolutionised the draught beer market enabling consumers to drink their favourite brew out of a can with the same appearance and foam head they were accustomed to from the keg at their local pub. This foaming quality is now available for Dairy Products where the incorporation of a widget in a 25cl steel īSlim CanŠ produces a foaming effect, without shaking, and offers a completely new presentation which will enhance the value of milk based products such as cappuccino, chocolate milk and yoghurt drinks, a quality that will, without doubt, appeal to the young consumer. These innovative technological developments in the beverage industry will no doubt attract the attention of multinational fillers and distributors and encourage further investment in the research and marketing of alternative drinks in the future. Tom McMurtry